In filling of commercially sterile products into sterilized packaging containers it is important that all components of the packaging container are sterilized. With “all components” we refer to all components having a surface to which the contents of the packaging container may have access, and as minimum requirement at least that particular surface should be sterilized. In a wider perspective it may be desired to sterilize such components fully, or at least to sterilize a greater area than what is included in the surface that will be in contact with the contents of the packaging container. One reason may be to prevent the occurrence of reinfection, i.e. the migration of contaminants from a non-sterile to a sterile area, another may be to prevent contaminants from entering an otherwise sterile area.
In the present disclosure the word “sterile” is frequently used. For most applications the definition conforms to the definition of “commercially sterile”. For all applications it will conform to the definition “sterile enough for the purposes of the application” and “sterilization” and similar may be defined as “treatment with a sterilant until sterile”.